Electric-light cut-off.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908.

Y. D. LOTT.

J. B; SMITH (In ELECTRIC LIGHT CUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 1B, 1906. RENEWED MAR. 4, 1908.

Parana onrrcn.

JAMES B. SMITH AND YANOY D. LOTT, OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.

ELECTRIC-LIGHT CUT-OFF.

Patented .Tune 30, 1908. I

Application filed December 18, 1906, Serial No. S LSABO. Renewed March4, 1908. Serial No. J 19,1l)8.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Janns B. SMITH and YANor' D. LOTT, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Hinds, ldtate ofMississippi, have invented will. enable others skilled in the art towhich it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to automatic elec tric light cut-offs, and moreparticularly to that class which are time-controlled and the primaryobject of the invention is to provide a cut-off of this class which. maybe applied to any alarm clock now' on the market and to any snap switchwithout in any way altering the construction of the same.

The device is particularly useful in stores and the like where it isdesirable to leave the lights in the show windows lighted for a considerable time after the store has been closed, the device beingdesigned to out off the lights at a predetermined time.

Broadly speaking, the device embodying our invention comprises, incombination with the alarm spring winding shaft of a clock, a windingdrum upon the said shaft, an arm secured to the handle ofthe switch tobe operated, and connection. between the winding drum and the armwhereby unwind ing of the spring upon the winding shaft will rotate thedrum and wind the connection thereon in this manner exerting a pull uponthe arm which is connected with the switch handle. Heretofore such.connections have Jeen in the nature of cords but we have conceived theidea of interpo'sing in such a con nection a spring which constitutes apoten tial device and which stores the power generated from the alarmspring until suilicient power has been generated to swing the arm andactuate the switch.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view in elevation of ourdevice in use, Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a detailview of the switch arm showing its construcsnap switch.

-Referring more specifically to the drawthere is shown an alarm clock 5having the usuallpiecc 6 for winding the alarm spring and there is alsoshown a common 2 snap switch 7 including the usual key tion before beingattached to the key of the 8, it being understood, of course, that thesnap switch controls the supply of current to the lamps (not shown).

A disk 9 is grooved peripherally as at 10 and is provided ccived a flatkey 6 upon the clock 5. A pin 12 is seated in this groove and to the pinis connected one end of a cord 13. The, other end of this cord isconnected to a coil spring 1a and to the spring is also connected oneend of a cord 15, this last-named cord being provided at its free endwith a heavy elastic ring 16.

In order that the clock 5 may be firmly supported so that it will not beoverturned when the snap switch is operated, in a manner to behereinafter described, a strip of :metal 17 is secured at one of itsends as at 18 to a shelf 19 and is engaged over the clock and detachablyconnected at its other end as at 20 to a coil spring 21 which in turn issecured to the shelf 19, it being understood that the resiliency of thespring 21 is exerted to cause the strip 17 to snugly embrace the upperportion of the clock.

In order to secure sufficient leverage to permit actuation of the snapswitch an arm 22 is rovided and one end of the arm is flattene as at 23sufficiently to permit of its being bent and the flattened portion ispro vided with tongues 24 which are bent to engage the inner edge of thekey 80f the snap switch, the flattened portion 23 being, of course, bentto inclose the greater portion of the key. After the arm has beenconnected with the key of the snap switch, the rubber ring 16 is engagedin a groove 25 formed in the upper end of the arm 22, this engagementbeing had, of course, after the alarm spring has been Wound up. Thealarm is then set and when sprung will Wind the cord upon the disk 9 andmove the arm 22 to turn the switch key. The spring 14 serves to causequick closing of the switch as the spring will be stretched to somedegree before suflicient force has been exerted to close the switch.

From the foregoing description of our invention and as heretoforestated, the spring 14 is in effect a potential device and stores up theenergy generated by the alarm spring, as the said spring unwinds, untilthe re quired amount of power has been generated to actuate the armwhich is connected to the switch handle.

with a slot 11 in which is reg eeaoee 1. The combination with a clockhaving What is claimed is: switch, a rooved disk provided with a slot inwhich t 1e winding key of the alarm clock an alarm spring Windin%1shaftand a switch,

I is received whereby the disk will be held for of an arm secured to theandle of the switch, rotation with the said key when the alarm iswinding shaft, flexible connection between groove therein, a similarcord secured to the the drum and the arm, and an elastic power outer endof the arm, and a spring connectstormg element interposed in saldconneomg the ends of the two cords.

tion. in testimony whereof, We aifix our signa- 10 The combination withthe button of a tures,1n presence 01 two Witnesses.

snap switch and with the Winding key of an JAB/IE8 B. SMITH. alarmclock, of an arm having an integral YANCY D. LOTT. plate portionprovided with prongs, the I Witnesses: plate ortion and the rongs beingadapted F. L. NELSON,

15 to'be ent to embrace the button or the snap W A. Momeotrrinr.

a Winding drum upon the alarm spring struck, a cord secured to the(lisk'in the 20

